The present invention relates to software programs used in telecommunication settings. The invention involves application programs which facilitate use of other telecommunication-based computer programs and telecommunication systems themselves. These types of programs are highly application specific and assist a user by performing repetitive or tedious tasks, querying the telecommunication system under program control, or querying the user as to desired results.
The general nature of such a software construct is well known. They are sometimes referred to as experts or wizards and appear in application programs as well as operating systems. While the general notion of such a program is not novel, its application to the area of telecommunication software in the following areas is not believed to be known.
In one aspect, the present invention first addresses a wizard which simplifies the use of existing software. Existing systems include personal computer (PC) application programs which allow a user to view a digital telephone as a virtual phone and customize the look and features of a virtual phone through such a program. Such systems in the prior art are often confusing and tedious to some users. Because of this, the present invention provides a software method of simplifying this process for the user in a telecommunications environment.
In another aspect of the present invention, a wizard may be constructed using software which allows a user to view and manage a telephone conference network. Typically, the tasks of managing a telephone conference network includes the steps of: (1) establishing the current state of the network; and, (2) constructing node/conference pairs to perform the required conference functions. In the prior art, these tasks are often difficult or time consuming for a user. For this reason, the present invention provides a wizard which simplifies this task for the user. At present, there exists no such facility to simplify a user's performance of this task.
In another aspect, the present invention may also provide wizards to perform editor functions for the user in the context of telecommunication applications. In this aspect, the wizards perform such basic administration tasks as adds, moves and changes, which would otherwise involve repetitive transactions with telecommunication software. Further, the present invention can provide maintenance or diagnostic assistance by querying the user as to symptoms and suggesting solutions for a telecommunication system. Additionally, the present invention may include wizard software constructs to provide a software method of viewing data in a manner most convenient and understandable to a user. Such a wizard may give a user options as to the means to view data, such as bar graphs, pie charts, etc. The wizard may then display the data in such a fashion for the user. Without the present invention, the user is often left to perform these tasks manually and without assistance.
Finally, in still another aspect of the present invention, the present invention may include components which assist a user in maintaining a telecommunication system and in determining the user's telecommunication needs. Such a wizard may query a user for information concerning the telecommunication system and use the user-provided answers as well as information relating to the current telecommunication system to determine the architecture and/or features of an improved telecommunication system to meet the needs of a user.
Generally, the prior art in the area of automated assistance discloses the use of software constructs which generally provide services to a user similar to assisting in the performance of computer-related tasks. However, the prior art generally does not address the unique and specific requirements of telecommunication software and systems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of assisting a telecommunication administrator or terminal user with use of computer based management software by querying the user as to desired actions and performing these actions for the user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of assisting a telecommunication administrator with use of computer based management software by determining the status of parts of the telecommunications system and reporting this status to the user in a way that is easier for the user to perform than by directly using the management software itself.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of assisting a telecommunication administrator with use of computer based management software by determining the status of parts of the telecommunications system, reporting this status to the user and performing actions on the telecommunications system at the user's request in a way that is easier for the user to perform than by directly using the management software itself.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of assisting a computer user with management of a computer based system by querying the user as to telecommunication system needs and providing information to the user as to how best to meet those needs with currently owned or yet to be acquired and or configured telecommunication equipment.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.